Look what's happening in my yard...May 2009

The larva or caterpillar of the Monarch butterfly is happily eating away my Milkweed plant, which was planted as a host plant to specifically provide food for these caterpillars. By supplying a host plant, allows me to enjoy watching them transform into adult butterflies.

My Sunflower buds are getting ready to bloom fully. I have a miniature variety that stands about 24 inches high.

All our recent rain in Central Florida helped to speed up the process of full bloom. All my Sago palms are healthy, showing new growth and no signs of the scale that is destroying this wonderful specimen in Florida. I have been digging a trench around the base of them and applying a healthy layer of used coffee grounds, which some people feel will keep away the scale. I go to any of the coffee shops and they are more then happy to give me a bagful of used coffee grounds......I think it is working!

I still have to do a lot of work on this island thinning out plants and putting in some others. But after a winter season of several nights of actual freezing weather, then 45+ days of no rain and water deficit, followed by several weeks of record setting pouring rain ,my garden was showing signs of stress. It looks like we are now in recovery and back to growth mode.

My Bromeliads are happy and climbing up the tree and the fence and anything else around. I have thinned these several times always giving excess plants away to friends. This group originated from 2 small plants that I got from a home in Lake Mary that I sold several years ago.

Two other varieties of Bromiliads grow happily under the Oak trees.

Following all of our recent rain, or I should say torrential downpours, here is the first Bird of Paradise flower on the plant that I saved from a neighbors trash several months ago. The photo is taken from inside my screened porch.

My plants have become quite perky and my garden for the most part is responding very favorably to all our recent rain and warmer weather. I have had a few losses of plants due to too much water however. So, I will continue to pour out the excess water daily that no longer drains from the pots and enjoy watching the wonders of nature right here in my little oasis.

If it does not stop raining soon, I will think seriously about building an Ark!!!!!